New Format Slated for Naiop National Conference

SAN DIEGO-The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties has unveiled a new format for this year’s national conference, which will take place in San Diego from Oct. 20 through Oct. 22. Through the use of interactive workshops and specialized sessions, this year’s event aims to create a more personalized experience for each of the conference attendees. “It’s a really customizable program this year and it’s our first year to do it,” Naiop’s director of communications Kathryn George tells GlobeSt.com. “Attendees can choose their own tracks and tailor it to the information they want to learn.” This year’s conference schedule is packed with workshops, sessions and roundtables, which will each cover a specific topic relevant to today’s commercial real estate industry. On the first day, participants will spend the afternoon in specialized, interactive workshops that are modeled on Naiop’s National Forums program. Attendees may choose between industrial, office and mixed-use workshops with an agenda that “may include a discussion of trends, market conditions, problems and opportunities, or perhaps a case study presentation,” according to Naiop’s conference literature. The second day of the conference will feature concurrent sessions that will offer comprehensive analyses of topics such as international real estate, emerging workplace technologies, mold prevention, urban redevelopment, joint venture structures, green development, healthcare-related real estate opportunities and investment strategies. And once the concurrent sessions conclude, the roundtables will be held, which will “provide participants with an opportunity to further customize their annual conference experience with small-group discussions on the topics of greatest personal interest,” according to Naiop’s literature. The roundtables will explore issues such as tenant demand, capital sources, and current trends. “We think that we’re offering a great selection of sessions, as well as some wonderful keynote speakers,” George says. This year’s keynote speakers include Equity Group Investments LLC’s chairman Sam Zell, Property & Portfolio Research’s founder and CEO Susan Hudson-Wilson and political analyst Charlie Cook.